Smiley: Tale of the ungodly husband

"My wife asked me to type and print for her a copy of 21 quotes from a collection of 70-plus of her favorite biblical quotes; she had marked each with a pencil.

"Noticeably UNMARKED was: 'My husband is wise. He is the king and priest of our home. He makes godly decisions.'

"I am still thinking…"

Sacrificial shrimp

Robert Cabes says Lenten observances "remind me of my childhood, when the Friday abstinence was a serious issue, with dire consequences if you strayed.

"I attended St. Michael’s School in New Orleans, two blocks from my home. The school had an unusual policy — students could pick one day a week to walk home for lunch.

"I selected Friday, walking home to share a fried shrimp po-boy from a neighborhood store.

"I remember asking my mother why all the nuns stressed the sacrifice theme, when we were eating that po-boy!

"My mother responded by telling me that 'in places other than south Louisiana, school children will be eating codfish balls or peanut butter sandwiches.'”

Call the police!

Carolyn Perry, of New Orleans, says, "In Tuesday's column was the comment, 'If you give a teacher a gun, there's no telling who she'd shoot.'

"Just wondering how many English teachers responded that it should be 'WHOM she'd shoot.' Bet the grammar police are locked and loaded!

"For the record, I think arming teachers, including grammarians, is a terrible idea."

Traiteurs, toddies

Warren A. Perrin says, "We are doing research for my wife Mary's book about traiteurs, Créole secret doctors, native Louisiana medicinal plants and the medicines that can be made from them, and also old-time home remedies of south Louisiana.

"Examples are the famous 'hot toddy' — made with or without a shot of whiskey, but 'with' was far more efficacious; scaring someone to get rid of hiccups; curing a wart with the white 'milk' that leaks out when a fig tree leaf is broken off, and putting elderberry leaves under a hat to prevent sunstroke.